Facing the Houston Texans in Week 14, the Kansas City Chiefs have a golden opportunity to win a pivotal game and boost their postseason odds. At 6-6, the season hadn’t gone remotely according to plan, with a few egregious losses on their schedule.
Unfortunately, the first half against Houston turned into one of those scenarios again, as they could not get anything going in the period. Trailing 10-0, it has been an especially brutal night for the offense, with star wide receiver Rashee Rice struggling thus far.
What Happened to Rashee Rice?
Since returning to the lineup following his suspension, it has been a quiet acclimation process for the star wideout. However, in Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts, he came alive in the fourth quarter and overtime to secure a victory for the Chiefs.
Then, he followed it up with another excellent performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13, even though the team lost. Facing the Texans with the offensive line in shambles, the team needed to rely on him in a big way.
Unfortunately, in the first half against Houston, he was nowhere to be found. As the passing offense struggled to cross 100 yards in the period, Rice only got two catches, making good work of both his targets to add 12 receiving yards on the board.
Now, with several minutes left in the third quarter, he still only has three catches for 19 yards. Rice is perfectly healthy — his struggles are related to the Chiefs offense’s issues as a whole. Patrick Mahomes only has 131 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception on 12-of-20 passing thus far.
The Chiefs’ leading receiver on the night is Xavier Worthy, who has three receptions for 55 yards. Travis Kelce has also been invisible for much of this game, as he has just one catch for eight yards. Kansas City’s only touchdown was a short score by running back Kareem Hunt.
The Texans have the best defense in the league, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact metric with a grade of 90.7. Houston has been giving Mahomes and Co. a ton of trouble tonight, and Rice’s numbers have taken a hit as a result.
There’s still plenty of time left in the game, so it’s possible that Mahomes and Rice come to life in the fourth quarter. However, if the first three quarters are any indication, this may not be Rice’s night.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.Â
